i read somewere last night that BC said on TSN that dispite what bloggers may think, his young players have good value around the league

as I've said many times before, take what Colangelo says with a grain of salt.

Besides what Matt52 said (ie. what else is he going to say)

Which 'young players' is he referring to?:

- Lowry, Ross, and Val? The guys he shouldn't (or maybe more specifically won't) be trading.

- Bargnani, Demar and fields? The guys he should be trading.

- all of them?

I'll give Colangelo one thing. He does an excellent job carefully articulating his sentences, telling people exactly what they want to hear through rather ambiguous (and at times extremely misleading) statements.

Thats why its his actions, and not what he says or claims, that matters.

1) derozan hits circus shot to beat orlando;
2) it's a highlight, so these guys are aware of it;
3) they remember him in the dunk contests;
4) they then take 12 seconds to peruse his stats;
5) they take note that he's scoring in the high teens;
6) they conclude that that means something (since, y'know...POINTS!!).

the whole 'american media' & whether they are pro-raptors or anti-raptors is a strawman. they are pro-story. if there's a story somewhere that will generate interest among their viewers - or generate new viewers - then that's what they are 'pro.' since 99% of their interest lies in cultivating the US market, any 'story' concerning the raps has to be significant enough to be of interest to joe-average american fan. and, sorry, as much as we gnash our teeth at the shitty luck the raps have had with officiating, pretty much no one outside of raptor fans gives a flying fuck...and hence, it isn't a story.

now, if the same thing had happened to, oh, say, the knicks (3 (potential) losses directly attributable to bad officiating, impacting their record/playoff seeding)...well, holy shit, the world might as well be on fire...because people in their market would care.

This...absolutely. They barely notice us and that's why most of their opinions pro or con are highly suspect and generally based on superficial knowledge.

Here's my take, for what it's worth. There is no predictable way to build a successful team in the NBA. Some very perimeter oriented teams succeed, and some very interior oriented teams do. Nobody predicted that the Lakers would be such a disaster in their chemistry. Gasol and Howard together looked like a monster front court. Memphis looks great, but did people really think that Gasol and Randolph would click like that as an interior presence?

So, this idea of building a team using some sort of formula ("spacing", etc.) seems nice on the surface, but in reality a team's chemistry seems more difficult to predict.

I don't know whether Gay will be boom or bust for the Raptors, but I can see the logic from Colangelo's perspective. I really liked Calderon and Davis, but how many teams were going to worry about the Raptors' lineup going forward (adding in Lowry, DeRozan and JV and Bargnani)? That roster has a mediocre ceiling. So why not try to go for a crazy athletic roster of slashers, with an aggressive young big man in the middle (JV), with Gay as the alpha dog with Lowry as beta? I won't be completely surprised if this roster "clicks", and drives other team's nuts with their length and athleticism. Once Ross becomes reliable from the 3FG they will have some options. Also, they can probably pick up a decent floor-spacing 3pt shooter.

So, basically, I don't mind this deal. Why not take a swing for the fences? Gay is young enough and athletic enough and has the skills and temperament to be dynamic. Remember, it was only a few seasons ago that Z-Bo was on the rubbish heap, and now he's a franchise cornerstone. Players need to find their niche. I predict some monster games from Gay, and some exciting play from this group. Give them a chance to wow us.

Here's my take, for what it's worth. There is no predictable way to build a successful team in the NBA. Some very perimeter oriented teams succeed, and some very interior oriented teams do. Nobody predicted that the Lakers would be such a disaster in their chemistry. Gasol and Howard together looked like a monster front court. Memphis looks great, but did people really think that Gasol and Randolph would click like that as an interior presence?

So, this idea of building a team using some sort of formula ("spacing", etc.) seems nice on the surface, but in reality a team's chemistry seems more difficult to predict.

I don't know whether Gay will be boom or bust for the Raptors, but I can see the logic from Colangelo's perspective. I really liked Calderon and Davis, but how many teams were going to worry about the Raptors' lineup going forward (adding in Lowry, DeRozan and JV and Bargnani)? That roster has a mediocre ceiling. So why not try to go for a crazy athletic roster of slashers, with an aggressive young big man in the middle (JV), with Gay as the alpha dog with Lowry as beta? I won't be completely surprised if this roster "clicks", and drives other team's nuts with their length and athleticism. Once Ross becomes reliable from the 3FG they will have some options. Also, they can probably pick up a decent floor-spacing 3pt shooter.

So, basically, I don't mind this deal. Why not take a swing for the fences? Gay is young enough and athletic enough and has the skills and temperament to be dynamic. Remember, it was only a few seasons ago that Z-Bo was on the rubbish heap, and now he's a franchise cornerstone. Players need to find their niche. I predict some monster games from Gay, and some exciting play from this group. Give them a chance to wow us.

Also, 9Mill a year is NOT an elite contract. 15+ Mill is an elite contract. Heck Bargs gets 11+ for being less of a player than Demar. Stop bagging on the kid for being a player he never was, and never will be. Jeesh isn't this a Rudy Gay thread?

They probably need to move a wing, Demar might be moved...cool. Was Kenny right? Personally I think there are more moves to come. We need a starting big, and a pure shooter. Val probably doesn't develop fast enough to be our starter while Gay is here. If you move Demar, Ross may not be ready fast enough either. I guess time will tell.

Also, 9Mill a year is NOT an elite contract. 15+ Mill is an elite contract. Heck Bargs gets 11+ for being less of a player than Demar. Stop bagging on the kid for being a player he never was, and never will be. Jeesh isn't this a Rudy Gay thread?

They probably need to move a wing, Demar might be moved...cool. Was Kenny right? Personally I think there are more moves to come. We need a starting big, and a pure shooter. Val probably doesn't develop fast enough to be our starter while Gay is here. If you move Demar, Ross may not be ready fast enough either. I guess time will tell.

Ross needs time to develop, and coming off the bench with 15+ minutes for a team with good wing talent will help him out. I'm willing to trade Derozan at the end of the season, not mid season because he has really played well this season.

36 games left. Just finish 24-12 if wanting to make playoffs. Yes, very tough, but with Boston possibly falling, & trade deadline coming soon, time will tell. East always has a team or two with the -.500 record getting in.

No way raps make playoffs. In fact it may be better to get more losses and get lucky with top 3 lottery pick. What I see happening is a couple of wins here and there but continued loses to above .500 teams especially in close games. I also see BC back for one more year and lots of talk about potential but in the end the results will be the same .....continued losing. No one should believe anything BC says. He knows how to effectively manipulate the media but his win loss record speaks for itself. Raptor fans continue to suffer....

I think it'll take at least 10-ish games for Lowry and Gay to truly gel. I can't see us clawing into the playoff picture starting March. The whole we've dug is too deep.

As for Boston being vulnerable...sure. But even without Rondo, they're still a tough team with talent, a winning culture, big-game experience, and a defense-first attitude. They won't be easy to catch.

It's nice that the Raps are getting some love on TNT but i completely disagree with Smith. It's going to be tough for the Raps to make the playoffs this year. They're in such in a deep hole right now. They're 6.5 games behind Boston i believe. That's a long climb. And i said this before, NO WAY Boston misses the playoffs. With or without Rondo they're going to be there.

By the way, crazy that DeRozan is getting so much love on TNT. Smith tonight, and Shaq the other night called him a go to guy

They clearly haven't seen him dribble to the basket. How many times has he been stripped? 4 times against Atlanta last game. Yes, I counted.

“The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority.” - Martin Luther King

Tonight is an automatic loss. Raps are shorthanded and LAC is one of the best team in the league(i still have trouble saying that).

Sunday's game is an automatic loss as well. With or without Gay they're not going to beat the Heat.

After that they need to get into a serious winning streak to even have a chance.

Clippers are without Paul and Barnes. Clippers have had some trouble without Paul in the lineup this past month. Toronto can take advantage, because without Paul, their back-court isn't very strong: Bledsoe/Green vs. Lowry/Derozan. Clippers' bench is magnificent though, and that might be a problem for us tonight. Likely Ross, Lucas, Acy and Fields coming off the bench. Hopefully Bargnani, Valanciunas, and Pietrus can suit up tonight. We are really desperate for the bodies right now.

We'll see what happens Sunday.

I'll stay optimistic, and realistic, and the way to do that, is let the game happen, and find out whether it's a loss or a win. I'm not one to start predicting wins and losses, just how we can do well, and how we can't.

I think it'll take at least 10-ish games for Lowry and Gay to truly gel. I can't see us clawing into the playoff picture starting March. The whole we've dug is too deep.

As for Boston being vulnerable...sure. But even without Rondo, they're still a tough team with talent, a winning culture, big-game experience, and a defense-first attitude. They won't be easy to catch.

Boston no doubt will not be easy to catch, but without Rondo, they don't have that guy that drives their car. Pierce is having a down year. Garnett is continuously aging - visually obviously on the court - and no true point guard in Barbosa, and Bradley. Keyon Dooling isn't returning this season.

Boston is going to have some serious on-court problems, and as much as they are well-coached, very well-prepared, and experienced, it's going to be tough.

You could use Chicago as an argument, as a team doing well without their 'driver', but Chicago has two very solid point guards in Robinson/Hinrich, their wing has great depth, Boozer and Noah are having great seasons. There's not one guy on the Celtics I would truly call a "hey, they've got him, so don't worry" type guy anymore.

Toronto gaining recognition.

Toronto has been gaining some serious recognition not just with the trade, but until now with Rudy's debut.

From Kenny Smith talking about Derozan/Gay and being un-guard-able, to Isaiah Thomas pouring his feelings on the athleticism, to the NBA in general really showing the highlights and performances.

This is really what a guy like Rudy Gay can do for this team, or even any team in general.

The future is very bright, and even though making playoffs this season will be very hard, this season will be about building and developing our young core/guys together, and getting prepared for what the next season has for them.